# Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Improving outcomes through incorporation of novel targeted therapies into treatment for relapsed and newly diagnosed disease

> **NIH NIH R50** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $172,013

## Abstract

O’Brien R50 Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist)
Project Summary/Abstract
While many children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are cured with frontline therapy,
for those who experience relapse, outcomes remain suboptimal. I am a pediatric oncologist
specializing in the care of children, adolescents, and young adults with high-risk and relapsed
leukemias with a research focus on clinical trials of novel therapies in both the relapsed and
frontline settings. My clinical research efforts are conducted primarily through collaborative
studies that are made possible by the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), specifically the
Children’s Oncology Group (COG), where I am currently spearheading the pediatric
development of inotuzumab ozogamicin as the Study Chair or Co-Chair of two large COG ALL
trials, am a member of the COG Relapsed ALL Steering Committee, and am the Vice-Chair of
the APAL2020SC screening trial for molecular characterization of relapsed leukemias with
allocation to targeted clinical trials. Beginning in October 2023, I will serve as the COG ALL
Committee Vice-Chair for Precision Medicine/Relapse. My research interests include improving
our understanding of the toxicities of novel agents, identifying patients at highest risk for side
effects and devising optimal management approaches for diverse patient populations based on
clinical features, leukemia biology, and pharmacogenomic factors. In this era of multiple novel
agents with activity in ALL including bidirectional antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, chimeric
antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and targeted agents including kinase inhibitors and modulators
of apoptosis, the development of well-designed and efficient clinical trials to determine how to
incorporate these agents for different populations will be critical to moving the field of ALL
therapy forward over the next decade. Locally, I serve as the Medical Director of the
Leukemia/Lymphoma Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center with a focus on
pilot studies of novel agents that, if promising, can be further developed in COG. The long-term
objective of this application is to support the time needed over the next five years to complete
the active COG inotuzumab ozogamicin trials (NCT03959085, NCT02981626) and to lead
development of the COG portfolio of trials for both newly diagnosed and relapsed ALL.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10849945
- **Project number:** 1R50CA288324-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Maureen Megan O'Brien
- **Activity code:** R50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $172,013
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-19 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10849945

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10849945, Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Improving outcomes through incorporation of novel targeted therapies into treatment for relapsed and newly diagnosed disease (1R50CA288324-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10849945. Licensed CC0.

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